4 sites in the running for new VA center

October 11, 2013News Extra

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is again accepting bids on building a new veterans health center in Butler County.

There are four locations are in consideration for the new multimillion dollar center, each with different developers.

The center would replace the main building on the VA Butler Healthcare campus on New Castle Road.

Here are those locations.

Butler Township

Cedarwood Development and Gilbane Development, both of Akron, Ohio, are working together on a plan for the center to be built on a property along Lions Road in Butler Township.

The residential property is owned by David Bocci and spans Butler and Center townships.

Hake said the Bocci property is about 50 acres and is adjacent to the Route 356 and Route 422 interchange.

Center Township

Center Township supervisors met with a representative from Cambridge Developments, a Virginia-based developer, on Monday to discuss information on whether the township would be interested in the center.

The proposed location there would be on North Duffy Road, just north of the township’s southern border. The more than 100 acres of farmland is owned by Dale Herold.

Supervisor Kenneth Frenchak said Herold’s property borders a portion of the Bocci property.

Franklin Township

Another site in consideration is the Mount Chestnut Golf Course at the intersection of North Road and Route 422 in Franklin Township.

That property is owned by Wade and Doug Orloski.

The father and son bought the property in August from Wade’s father, Jake Orloski.

Jake Orloski confirmed that his son, who lives in Tennessee, has been contacted by a Texas-based developer and was told there is interest in the property as a site for the health care center.

Wade Orloski declined to comment on the issue.

Butler Township

The fourth location is the 21-acre Deshon Woods site where work already had begun on a health care center.

However, the VA canceled its contract with the developer of that project, Westar Development Co. of Aurora, Ohio, accusing the developer of making false and misleading representations during the lease process.

Under the canceled $75 million contract, Westar would have erected a three-story, 168,000-square-foot building.

The property is owned by VA Butler Partners Co. in care of Westar Development.

Richard Bowen, a consultant to Westar who is with Fine Lines Development Services in Wexford, said he does not know if the owner has heard anything from the VA.

He did say the land still has all of its permits and is ready to be developed should the VA choose the site.

It is not known whether Westar still would be eligible for the bid, or if the VA would require another developer to buy the land before using the site.